Long Overdue
by GrimGrave
Summary: "Brave, kind, loyal, strong-hearted – words that described him perfectly, and yet they weren't enough." A requested Shulk/Fiora piece. Rated M for adult themes.


Disclaimer: GrimGrave does not own Xenoblade Chronicles or its characters. The franchise belongs to Monolith Soft and Tetsuya Takahashi, along with Shingo Kawabata and Takao Nakano.

 _Requested by someone who thinks there aren't enough Shulk x Fiora love stories on this site. And you know what? I absolutely agree._

 **Long Overdue**

The festival had been going on for weeks. Fireworks coloured the sky and songs had been sung as people danced on this new earth – this vast, boundless new home. Homs, Nopons, Machina, and High Entia alike celebrated their newfound peace and freedom while getting accustomed to their new everyday life as days turned to weeks, turned to months.

But the biggest celebration occurred inside Dunban's house; the gang had all gathered to commemorate his little sister, Fiora's, return. Having spent half a year inside an ancient regeneration chamber, the former half-mechon had healed up and been restored back to a Hom, and today marked as the last day of her treatment.

She was back.

"Let's hear it for Heropon!" Riki exclaimed as he bounced around on the floor, his high-pitched voice attempting to sing in the most brutal of fashions. "And for the return of Hom-Hom friend, Fiora!"

The gang cheered around the centre of attention, Fiora, who blushed lightly and tried to hide herself, sipping carefully on her drink.

"It's good to have you back, Fiora!" The muscle of the group, Reyn, said with a hearty laugh, swinging and arm around the short girl's shoulders. "Poor Shulk has been sporting grey hairs with worry!"

Her flushed features darkened further. "R-really?"

The aforementioned youth punched his friend between jokingly and seriously on the shoulder, his pale cheeks slightly red. "Reyn!"

The muscular redhead grinned from ear to ear and let go of the girl, settling instead of leaning onto his friend and perform a noogie on his head. "Just messin' with ya, Shulk! Let's not lose our heads here!"

Fiora giggled softly at the two friends playful bickering, sipping on her drink again. She had missed this, not only when she had been in the chamber, but also prior to them saving their world. She had missed the laughter, the jokes, and the banter those two always delivered. It felt just like before – before when they had lived in peace and mechons were thought of as a thing of the past.

Now, it was reality.

"Hey," a soothing voice called out, garnering the blonde's attention. The medic of the group stood next to her with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Fiora replied. "It feels… I don't know, _weird_ , to have gone from Homs to machine, back to Homs… But I've recovered, at least."

"Good to hear," Sharla said, nodding. Her lips arched upwards into a small grin. "And… Has Shulk said anything?"

The younger girl sputtered into her cup and her eyes widened slightly, green meeting hazel. "W-what? Shulk is happy to see me, just like I am happy to—"

The dark-haired woman chuckled. "That's not what I asked, silly. I asked if Shulk has said anything – does he like your new hairstyle? Any compliments at all?" She leant back against the wall, arms crossed. "Reyn's might've exaggerated earlier, but there's truth behind his words. Shulk hasn't stopped thinking about you – and seeing how you keep glancing back at him even as I speak, I'd say you're more than happy to see him."

The short-haired blonde caught herself and was about to protest as the raven-haired medic crossed the room and over to the two friends. "Alright, break it up you two."

Fiora giggled at them but just as quickly fell into silence. Her gaze settled on the young boy; brave, kind, loyal, strong-hearted – words that described him perfectly, and yet they weren't enough. She couldn't begin to describe what she felt for him, nor how strongly she felt for him.

 **X.x.X.x.X**

Hours later, and the evening was still young. Most of the new city had fallen asleep, with only a few habitants left to enjoy the early night.

In the case of the heroes, Shulk had been elected to bring a very drunk Reyn home to his own quarters. The taller, muscular youth had to lean on his shorter friend for support as they stumbled their way through the streets, with Reyn speaking in slurs.

"Man, thish party is great…" he said in-between hiccups. "Why did we even leave, Schulk…?"

The blonde laughed, despite the vile breath washing over his face. "Because it is over, Reyn. We've been celebrating for hours now, and it's a wonder that Dunban's neighbours haven't complained yet. Come on, let's get you back home; I kind of need to find Fiora…"

Shulk clasped a hand over his mouth immediately, but it didn't stop his friend from snickering at him. "Say no more, buddy! Don't want to keep you two lovebirds away from one another."

"Reyn, i-it's not like that! I just want to talk to her—"

"Shulk and Fiora, sitting in a tree…"

"Reyn!"

"Need some help?" a familiar voice inquired, prompting the friendly duo to turn their heads towards the medic. "I can take it from here, Shulk."

"It's alright, Sharla, I can manage—"

"You shouldn't keep a woman waiting, Shulk," the raven-haired woman commented with a playful wink. "I'll make sure Ryen gets his sorry backside to bed. You go on ahead." Without waiting for a reply, Sharla shooed the blonde away and swung a muscular arm over her shoulders. "C´mon you big lug – time to get some rest."

Without protest, Reyn allowed himself to be escorted back to his own quarters, occasionally guffaw as the two disappeared into the dark of night; as Shulk saw them off, he couldn't help but wonder if Sharla herself had a plan, but he filed it away for later mulling. He didn't want to be tardy.

 **X.x.X.x.X**

It hadn't taken long to find the flaxen-haired woman. The combined effort of the different races had created a similar city comprising of areas that accommodated each of the species, and one such area was the new _Outlook Park_ – a small park with a clear view over the city. Along both sides of the staircase was there all kind of flowers, and the park itself looked remarkably similar to the old one; a few more trees for shading, but the moon had more than enough access to light up the area with its light. And there, right in the middle of said lunar light, sat her.

Shulk's heart skipped a beat. Or two. Despite the cool air, his face – and to an extent, his chest – was scorching hot, his mind scattered.

She was so beautiful; Shulk couldn't even begin to describe her. Her energetic and cheerful personality was contagious, and she wore her heart on her sleeve, making her a very kind and caring person. He liked— _loved_ that about her. Now that he thought about it, was there anything about the young blonde that he disliked?

Ironically, despite having faced mortal dangers again and again, it was this moment that had him frozen in place with no clue of what to do next – and this time, there was no visions to help him.

Shulk had to dive into the deep end, unknowing.

With a deep breath, the young man crossed the distance and walked up to Fiora. Their eyes locked and she smiled, but said nothing. With a smile back at her, Shulk took a seat next to Fiora, their gazes lingering on each other for a moment longer before attention was focused on the night sky.

"The breeze feels so good," she finally said, breaking the silence. "This takes me back."

"It sure does," Shulk replied. "And unlike last time, these moments will last forever."

They sat there in silence, watching the star-lit sky and occasionally glancing over at each other, both equally flushed as they caught each other.

"Hey, Shulk…" The flaxen-haired boy turned towards her. "Say… What do you think of my look? I was kind of thinking of letting my hair grow back…"

Shulk opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He took a good look at Fiora, his expression amazed. "It… It looks good as it is. But you would look beautiful either way; I'm just glad to have you back, Fiora."

Her green pools widened as she stared with a slight baffled look and the boy clasped a hand over his mouth. The young woman was quick to giggle and patted her friend's leg reassuringly. "It's alright, Shulk – I'm glad to be back, too." She smiled at him. "And thank you. I'm really happy you think so."

"Of course I think so!" Shulk exclaimed. "I've always thought you were beautiful! And I—" He went silent. Azure orbs found themselves looking right into green ones and his heart doubled its beat. "—always will…"

The look in her eyes was shiny, joyous. "Really?"

He swallowed hard. "…Yes. Always."

Neither knew how it had happened, but the two blondes found themselves sitting a lot closer than before; Fiora's hand rested neatly on Shulk's leg, and soon his hand met with hers fingers entwined, squeezing gently. She squeezed back.

"I'm glad…" she said, just barely above that of a whisper. Her heart raced beneath her breast. "Shulk…"

"Fiora…"

It wasn't until their lips chastely met that the youths realized what they were doing and withdrew, their faces reddened with embarrassment and arousal. The young woman giggled softly.

"Our second kiss…"

"Yes…" Shulk replied. "Fiora, I—"

"Yes, Shulk?" She inched closer, eyelids half-closed. Her heart-beat was rapid as her feelings became unearthed, filling her up until they flooded over, and Fiora couldn't contain herself; there was so much that had yet to be said between them.

And Shulk felt the same. Gently, he cupped her cheek as he leant back in with a whispered; _"I love you – I always have."_

Their lips sealed in a chaste but ever so passionate kiss underneath the moonlit sky.

 **X.x.X.x.X**

The road back to Shulk's quarters had been tricky; the lovebirds had found it near impossible to not touch each other, settling to steal quick kisses when no-one could see them. Years of bottled-up affections had been set free and there was no stopping it.

The young man's home was rather small but cozy; with only three rooms in total, Shulk had settled with only what he needed, seeing that he had his own study in the recently built lab on the opposite side of the city. The newfound lovers wrapped their arms around each other as soon as he closed the front door, kissing with unbridled passion. Their love-struck daze was a storm of shedding clothes that landed across the living-room floor until they landed on Shulk's humble bed, finally pausing.

Fiora laid on her back, her cheeks flustered and eyes glassy, her breathing heavy and her chest heaving with each breath. Shulk stared mesmerized at the beautiful woman, his heart skipping beats irregularly as he tried to make sense of the situation.

It felt like a dream.

It was also just now they both realized they were only clad in their undergarments, but their blush wouldn't possibly be any redder, though the lack of light rendered them unaware of the other's flushed complexion – only their eyes and parts of their bodies were visible from the stream of moonlight from the window.

"Fiora..." Shulk said, his voice husky as he leant down towards her. "…M-may I?"

He could see her nod. "Yes…" she said, and Shulk could see her smile up at him. "You took my first kiss… I want you to take my first…"

He swallowed hard. Though neither was a stranger regarding physical intimacy, it was still their first time – first time to explore, caress, and accept everything about each other on a whole new level. The flaxen-haired youth leant further downwards, pressing his lips against hot skin of Fiora's collarbone and continued to place feather-light pecks down her lithe body, between the valley of her mounds, and further down pass her navel.

The green-eyed woman let out a quiet coo as the young boy kissed her body, shivering pleasantly when firm hands caressed her. He had reached the outline of her underwear and as she sensed him pausing, Fiora reached down and tugged at her panties, sliding them off without hesitation. Her heart was beating loudly within her chest and despite feeling ashamed of her body, she wanted this – wanted Shulk to see her – and continue this until the end.

The blonde youth could vaguely see her puffy lips that were flushed red with liquid arousal that glistened in the moonlight, the sight of which had more blood pumping down between his legs as he leant in, closer – taking a deep whiff of her musky scent – and instinctively lapped at her slit. The taste, he figured, would be acquired – it was slightly bitter, but at the same time it was positively intoxicating, urging Shulk to continue.

Fiora let out an unrestrained gasp that was followed by a string of moans. His flexible tongue licked at her wet opening, never neglecting her sensitive bundle of nerves as she quivered pleasantly during the ordeal. Slender fingers dug into the sheets as the short-haired woman tried to ground herself, but pleasure zipped from neuron to neuron without pause, forcing another moan from her throat.

" _Shulk—!"_

The stimulation on her overly-sensitive clit was soon too much, and the female Homs clenched her loins together, trapping her lover as she rode out a swiftly approached orgasm.

It wasn't until her legs slackened that the boy was released from her grip, tongue darting out to lick his lips. "Are you alright, Fiora?"

"Mm…" Green eyes opened up to meet azure ones. "It felt really good…"

He couldn't help but to slightly grin. "I'm glad." His grin quickly faded. "Then… May I?"

"You don't need to ask, silly," Fiora replied with a soft laugh. Had the light been just a tad bit brighter, Shulk would've seen that despite the laugh, the blonde woman was just as nervous as he was. He slid off his underwear, the vague light allowing the female Hom to see his erect length; it looked big, but with no comparison, Fiora couldn't tell if that was the regular size or bigger but it didn't matter – as long as it was his, she would accept it.

The blonde male took a deep breath, jerking his manhood as he positioned himself, probing the mushroom-shaped head against wet folds. They both shivered pleasantly at the contact and, with a pause and a reassuring glance, Shulk carefully slid inside.

" _Ngh…!"_

" _Aah!"_

The sensation of her soft, velvety inner walls was overwhelming. Having licked her slit paled in comparison to this but he went slowly, not wanting to rush it. His gaze strayed up at her heaving chest that was now free from its confine, allowing the young boy view of her malleable twin mounds; they were a bit small but topped with pink buds that stood sweetly at attention, beckoning him to take one into his mouth.

So he did.

Fiora shivered and arched underneath Shulk, pressing herself against him as he suckled on a rosy bud and gradually inserted himself deeper into her heated core, until he probed against something – something elastic and thin, which caused his lover to bit her lower lip.

He looked up at her with worrying eyes. "Fiora—!"

"It's okay," she quickly said. "Don't stop… I can take it."

Shulk obliged, although hesitantly. He pressed harder and Fiora squirmed in pain underneath him until she released a painful yelp as he broke through the thin, fleshy wall, fully inserted inside her.

"Fiora?" The blue-eyed youth looked down and his eyed widened. Thin red torrents were clearly visible and instilled him with panic. "You're bleeding—!"

"It's alright," she said, resting a warm hand on her lover's cheek as she guided his gaze back to hers. "Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."

Shulk knew that she wasn't referring to this moment alone. Elated, he leant back in and stole a chaste kiss, moving his hips in a slow, steady pace.

" _Shulk…"_ she cooed, hugging him. _"Shulk…"_

" _Fiora…"_

He increased his pace, maintaining his steady rhythm. Fiora's legs crossed behind him as if to keep him in place, whispering sweet nothings into his ear as he picked up the pace yet again, slamming himself into her wet heat.

" _Shulk…!"_

Velvety walls clamped down on his cock, massaging his length each time he came back in. Shulk's breathing was heavy, his body tensed as he rutted into Fiora like a dog in heat, his rhythm broken and his pacing even faster as the pleasurable stimulation zipped through his member.

Minutes felt like hours. The lovers were lost in the moment.

He finally couldn't take much more. Shulk's hips jerked faster into her heated core and nipped at Fiora's throat, his climax swiftly approaching – and Fiora wasn't far behind, her body quivering as she arched back, clinging onto him for dear life until she finally exclaimed;

" _Shulk! I'm—!"_

" _M-me too!"_

A tidal wave of pleasure and mortal delight wiped their minds clean as they thrashed against each other, ejaculating. Shulk buried himself to the base when he did as Fiora clamped down, spilling droplets onto the sheets as they both rode out their climaxes together.

Sound was drowned out. Only their rapid heartbeats resonated in their ears, gradually slowing down to a steady rhythm as they remained motionless, their bodies covered in a thin sheen of sweat that dampened the bed.

Minutes afterwards, the young man withdrew a soft member and rolled to the side, his breathing irregular, and looked into green orbs. They lay there, staring at each other without a word, basking in the afterglow.

Finally, the silence was broken. "Fiora?"

"Yes, Shulk?"

"I love you. I always have – always will."

He could see her smile at him even in the shadows. "I love you too, Shulk. Always have," she replied and scooted closer, pecking the blonde on the forehead and nuzzled against him. "Always will."

Their arms wrapped around each other for the rest of the night, and Fiora thought joyfully to herself; this really had been long overdue.

 **Fin.**


End file.
